Intermediate stacking device for sheets delivered by a printing machine



INTERMEDIATE STA CKING DEVICE FOR SHEETS DELIVERED BY A PRINTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 26. 1955 Nov. 1 1, 1958 R REILIAhTZ Em 2,859,966

United States Patent INTERMEDIATE STACKING DEVICE FOR SHEETS DELIVERED BY A PRINTING MACHINE Robert Reinartz and Fritz Rupp, Augsburg, Germany, as-

signors to Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg A. G., Augsburg, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application October 26, 1955, Serial No. 542,995

Claims priority, application Germany November 20, 1954 6 Claims. (Cl. 27186) This invention relates to an intermediate stacking device for sheets issuing from a printing machine having a removable table and serves to accommodate the sheets accumulating while the delivery table is being replaced.

With machines adapted to handle sheets, the finally printed sheet is usually deposited in stacks on tables by means of delivery swing arms. In order to avoid the loss of time occurring when replacing a full delivery table, it has already been proposed to insert auxiliary means between the delivery mechanism and the delivered pile, the sheets which arrive while the table is being replaced being delivered to the said auxiliary means. With this arrangement, the auxiliary means is either emptied immediately after the table has been changed, or the sheets which have accumulated are transferred to the main table by means of special devices. Such auxiliary arrangements have already been proposed in the form of auxiliary tables, a series of cords and belts, or cloth surfaces which can be inserted manually. It is also known, in connection with a sheet delivery device having reciproeating delivery carriages, to couple a web or cloth surface with the carriage so that if necessary, during the forward travel of the delivery carriage, the auxiliary arrangement is brought to the operative position and receives the sheets arriving while the delivery table is being changed. Such an arrangement, however, is not suitable for use with delivery mechanisms of the chain type. According to the present invention, there is provided an intermediate stacking device for sheets issuing from a printing machine incorporating a removable delivery table and means for accommodating the sheets which have accumulated while the delivery table is being replaced, wherein said means comprises a slotted table :adapted, when in the inoperative position, to be rolled up at the rear of the pile of sheets deposited on the deilivery table and, when in the operative position, to be moved so as to be located between the top of said pile and the lower edge of lateral sheet register devices, movement to the latter position being effected through :the medium of spring means upon the release of a locking pawl and during the delivery of two successive sheets. 'The slatted table is adapted to be restored to its original position by the operation of a hand wheel. Such an intermediate stacking device enables the sheets arriving while the tables are being replaced to be taken up in a simple manner without separate coupling device, even with chain delivery mechanisms, without the printing machine having to be stopped.

For a better understanding of the invention and to 'show how the same may be carried into effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the intermediate stacking device according to the invention, and

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Referring to the drawing, the sheets issuing tom the printing machine are deposited in known manner on a stacking table 1 with the aid of rectilinear pusher members 2 and lateral register devices 3 disposed in advance of a suction roller plate 4. In order that the accompanying drawing may be easily read, the delivery device which is in the form of a chain delivery mechanism is not shown in detail. As soon as the appropriate pile height is reached on the delivery stacking table 1, the latter is moved downwardly by cranks while the machine is still running and a slatted table 5 is introduced between the top of the pile and the bottom edge of the lateral register devices 3 after releasing a locking pawl.- During the normal running of the machine, the slatted table is wound onto a shaft 6 arranged at the rear of the pile and preferably mounted in the side frames. The front end of the slatted table, which is constructed in a manner similar to a roller blind, is connected by means of two straps 7 to rollers 8 which are arranged in front of the pile and in which spring elements are disposed for pulling the slatted table forward. The side edges of the slatted table are adapted to move in guideways 9, which are preferably fixed to the chain rails 10. In order to permit an accurate delivery onto the slatted table while the stacking table is being lowered, the lateral register devices 3 and the suction roller plate 4 are provided with resilient catches 11 and 12, respectively, which are adapted to follow the descending pile. With the winding in of the slatted table, the resiliently arranged catches are again raised to their initial position by grooves 13 provided on the slatted table. After the replacement of the full delivery table has been effected by bringing an empty table into the operative position, the slatted table is wound back onto the shaft 6 by rotation of a hand Wheel 14. The sheets disposed on the slatted table are then held at the rear edge by the spring catches 12 extending into the groove 13, so that the sheets are transferred over the returning leading edge of the slatted table onto the replaced delivery table 1.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention are obtained,

We claim:

1. An intermediate stacking means for sheets coming from a printing press comprising a flexible slatted table, means for winding said table into a roll adjacent one end of a stacking table, spring means mounted adjacent the opposite end of the stacking table and adapted to be pretensioned, and strap means joining said roll and said spring means for unwinding said roll upon release of said spring means.

2. An intermediate stacking means as in claim 1, said winding means comprising a shaft upon which said slatted table is wound, and a locking pawl secured to said shaft.

3. An intermediate stacking means as in claim 2, further comprising a hand wheel joined to said shaft for rotating the same.

4. An intermediate stacking means as in claim 3, further comprising guideway means extending between said shaft and spring means for guiding the edges of said slatted table.

5. An'intermediate stacking means as in claim 4, further comprising lateral register devices'mounted 'over'the stacking table, and resilient catches attached to said register devices for registering sheets on the stacking table while said slatted table is being positioned thereover.

6. An intermediate stacking device as in claim 5, further comprising a suction roller plate mounted above said stacking table, and additional similar resilient catches attached to said suction plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Scott Apr. 9,

Berry May 7,

English et a1. Dec. 5,

Koch Mar. 20,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Nov. 18, 

